


Wasting Hours

by blue_nebulae



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Library, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Getting Together, Grief/Mourning, High School, Male-Female Friendship, Orphans, Pain, Slow Romance, Time Together, Understanding, annoyed arya, spending time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-02 01:27:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11498892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blue_nebulae/pseuds/blue_nebulae
Summary: It was her alone time; the few hours she gets to have some peace of mind where everything could be a little more normal. The library was her sanctuary, where she got her peace and quiet by the table near the window facing the football field.It's a disgrace when a certain someone decides to ruin her alone time, invading her space and not leaving her alone.





	1. Chapter 1

It was her alone time; the few hours she gets to have some peace of mind where everything could be a little more normal.

 

It was sad, she spends those hours after school in the library, mostly doing homework or reading alone on a table by the corner she had called hers. The library was mostly deserted at this hours, only a few diligent students who were all about good grades, those who were failing and needed desperately to improve theirs, some like her who took advantage of time before their part time jobs to get their school work done and those who just wanted peace and quiet.

 

It started as a way to get the most of her time, doing her homework before hand instead of driving aimlessly as she used to when everything just happened. It kept her mind off and kept her busy before going home to help Sansa with the house stuff.

 

She couldn’t be at home, at least not yet, for too long because she started to remember and the nostalgia sometimes got the best out of her.

 

Memories of Bran before his accident, while he could still walk. Memories of Jon before he was deployed far away, battling the others army and preventing them from invading their country. Memories of Sansa while she could still smile sincerely, before that douchebag of Joffrey broke her heart and she had to become the mother of them all. Memories of Rickon while he was still a sweet child and not one full on anger over missing his parents. Memories of Robb before he was submerged in his work, trying to keep the business running and dropping out of college.

 

She just needed some peace and quiet before going back to the madness of the house where Sansa and her would have to take turns in picking up Bran from physiotherapy and Rickon from his sports club depending weather Sansa’s class schedule, prepping meals, helping Robb with the company, helping Theon in helping Robb, seeing if Jon had shown life signals and called or emailed one of them, trying to make Rickon do his freaking homework and keep him from running away, again.

 

Then there was laundry, cleaning, cooking, finances of the house. Even if their parents had left them each a trust fund for college and If they had still the company, they couldn’t waste money irresponsibly. Nobody knows if the company can keep it up, if Robb would be able to take it back to where it used to be because as soon as their father passed the stocks plumped.

 

But they shouldn’t worry, everything was going okay for now and if it keeps that way good, and if it doesn’t they’ll figure it out. At least that’s what she tells herself. So for now she just went as usual to her seat by the big window, the one facing the football field, took out the book she was reading this week and her headphones. For the next two hours she was going to enjoy her reading playlist and Murakami’s novel” South of the border, west of the sun”.

 

She was a few pages in on the life of Hajime when a rumble could be heard coming from the football field. The team was practicing, as it usually did after school, she could see them training and being loud, the tall and lean figures of the players but who stood the most was the broad and big form of the one wearing a different uniform, the goalie who was taller than the rest of the guys. Sometimes, when she wanted a short break from her homework or reading, she watched them play a bit, it reminded her of old times of Jon, Robb, Theon playing on their backyard when they were younger, it always brought a smile on her.

 

Jon used to be the goal keeper, maybe that was why she tends to watch the goalie training, it reminded her of her favorite brother who was faraway. She was caught in a funny memory, one that brought a smile to her face. When she came back she noticed the goal keeper was looking directly at her from across the field, probably thinking it was odd she kept staring at him, though not intentionally, she only shook her head and went back to her book.   

 

It had been a week before she could go back to her routine of spending hours in the library, just her. It had been a very exhausting week with Sansa catching a cold, Robb out of town on King’s Landing for business and Theon visiting his family in the Iron Islands leaving her as the only one available to do carpool duty. Even if she was exhausted it was fun to spend more time with Rickon convincing him not to do stupid things and asking Bran for advice because Bran was a freaking wise man on the body of a teenager.

 

Now she was entering the library, counting the seconds before she was able to finally finish her book, craving to know what the hell was going on with Hajime and Shimamoto but just as she was reaching her table, she noticed it was occupied.

 

Someone had stolen her favorite table on the library.

 

She could seat somewhere else but for months that had been her table! Even the librarian knew it because she always dropped to say hello from time to time to her by that table! The regulars kept a respect towards the other tables! Mycah always sits by the librarian’s desk because he has a crush on her, Weasel sits by the window that faces the school entrance! People knew that the table by the football field was hers!

 

“You’re on my table” she declared as soon as she reached it, the guy, the usurper, removed his earplugs before turning to her and she recognized him, it was the one of the football players, the goalie to be exact. She’d seen him before around school but now, in front of her, she realized the guy was enormous, he was even taller and bigger than she thought.

 

“what?” he asked with a deep voice that caught her by surprise.

 

“This is my spot” she pointed towards the table, he furrowed his eyebrows then his blue eyes flickered at something, a cocky grin appeared on his face.

 

“I see, does it have your name on it?” that stupid grin, she wanted to punch it off his face.

 

She glared at him “No, but”

 

“It’s a public library, it’s a public table. Anyone can use it” she turned to look for a new table, gods maybe she would just to go home or somewhere else. She didn’t want to use another table, not that she could since all were busy, so she was ready to take off.

 

“We can share” he said as he went back to his books, making her stop in her tracks. Now, she could just sit there, read and go home after she was done or she could just go somewhere else. He was looking at her again, a defying look in his face as if he knew she would deny the offer and it made her blood boil, that cocky stupid bull size table stealer idiot was defying her.

 

So her pride took the best on her and with a huff she sat down on her usual spot. Thank the gods that idiot didn’t took her seat too, she thought as she took her book out. She was putting her headphones on when he spoke again “You haven’t been coming in a while”

 

“What?” she asked, looking at him. He was there, a smile on his face and she noticed he had a blue cast on his left hand, which was probably the reason he was ruining her alone time instead of training by the football field like he usually did.

 

“yeah, you always come here after classes are over, you seat here reading or doing homework until five and then you go. I always see you from across the field” he pointed towards the window.

 

She must have looked baffled because the guy went on “As if you don’t look at me when I’m training!” he teased, winking an eye at her.

 

“I don’t look at you” she spat, an angry whisper because she remembered they were supposed to be quiet at the library, he only rolled his eyes and went back to his work

 

“I’m Gendry, by the way”

 

“I don’t care” she didn’t even look up to see the stupid grin he had on his face at the moment. Gods, goalie guy was so annoying and it took all of her willpower to ignore him. Not that he was making noise or talking, he was just there invading her space with his big presence and she battle the urge to raise her eyes to look at him. When the clock finally marked five o’ clock and she got up, placing her book inside her bag as she noticed he was doing the same thing, both leaving the library at the exact same time. Perhaps that was it, she hoped that was it and it would be the last time that giant would ruin her afternoon.

 

“Same time, same place? See you tomorrow, Arya Stark” he said as he left in the opposite direction, she turned back to look at him to see his broad back walking away, his left arm raised waving a goodbye motion

 

Gods, she hated Gendry.

 

But how on earth did he knew her name?


	2. Chapter 2

“Dammit” she cursed for the nth time, she really hated math and she really hated working at the library. It was one thing doing frustrating math homework alone and another thing doing frustrating math homework with the stupid gigantore looking at her every time she cursed for getting the wrong answer.

 

She’d been trying to solve those stupid equations but she just couldn’t do it. When she thought she was doing it right, the answer she got was none of the options the book offered as an option for the right answer. She was so going to fail that test, stupid math.

 

“Do you need help, m’lady?” she looked up to glare at Gendry, it had been three days in a row he had been sitting in front of her in her table by the library.

 

“No”

 

“Liar. Give me that, I can help you. You’ve got a math genius over here” he smirked at that “Let me check what you’re doing” she was going to tell him to fuck off but when she looked him in the eye, she was glaring of course, she could see he was sincerely offering his help, no tease behind.

 

The paper was passed across the table, he examined it for a while, until he clicked his tongue at something.

 

“You’re confusing the formulas, here” he pointed a part of her solving as he explained the right way, actually writing how she should approach the problem solving it as if it was so simple.

 

“See?” he asked softly after he showed her how to solve a few of the exercises.

 

“Yeah, I think so”

 

“Try again with the rest, if you have a problem again ask me” he smiled softly at her.

 

“Thanks”

 

“You’re welcome” he said not looking at her as he went back to type on his laptop. He seemed to be doing some kind of book essay, as he had next to his computer an old copy of To Kill a Mockingbird filled with post its everywhere.

 

As she continued to solve the rest of the problems she noticed that what he told her to do was the easiest way to solve all those equations, she kept looking back the ones he solved to use them as a guide when she noticed the odd numbers he had written. It wasn’t that his handwriting was ugly or weird as she first thought, totally the opposite since Gendry had quite a nice handwriting, but he wrote certain numbers in a funny way, like backwards.

 

“You’re dyslexic” she declared looking up to him. He was shocked, blush creeping through his face.

 

“how did you know?”

 

She pointed the oddly written number, the mirror like threes and nines and saw the blush spreading through his neck and ears.

 

“Fuck. Well, yeah I have dyslexia. I got treated for it as a child, but sometimes I mess it up” he ran a hand through his thick black hair, he was ashamed and she could tell.

 

“It gets worst when you’re stressed or nervous, doesn’t it?”

 

“How you know that?” his blue eyes were wide open in surprise.

 

“My cousin Theon has it, he has this odd ways of coping with it. He also uses the hundred post it method when he reads” she pointed towards his book “uses symbols or writes stuff as he understands it best. He tends to turn letters upside down, numbers too and sometimes when he’s under stress it just gets worst. When he was younger and he got worked up while talking he sounded like Yoda, my brothers used to bug him to hear him talk like that” he let out a soft chuckle at that, she smiled at the fond memory.

 

“Yeah, that tends to happen to me too. So you don’t think I’m like stupid or anything for having dyslexia, do you?” he was looking down as he asked her that.

 

“No” he let out a sound of relieve “I think you’re stupid for usurping my spot, but not for being dyslexic” she shrugged and he let out a loud laugh, gaining a hush from the librarian.

 

“You know; you shouldn’t insult people who are bigger than you”

 

“Then I wouldn’t get to insult anyone and you’re bigger than pretty much everyone else, you’re almost like a bull” she shrugged again “So you’re stressed out now? Or do I make you nervous?” the blush came back again, full force on his face now as she wiggled her eyebrows.

 

“No! I’m not nervous, you don’t make me nervous! It’s this, yeah” he raised his left hand with its blue cast “I’m missing practice. I mean I already got my sports scholarship to university but I have to get my grades up, I broke my two fingers and coach sent me here to study and catch up on homework instead of watching practice, I’m pretty much out for the rest of the season but if I don’t raise my grades I could endanger my scholarship”

 

“If you want, I can proof read your essay” she offered as she went back to her homework, she couldn’t see the smile on his face “Yeah, I’d really appreciate it if you do”. For some reason she could not understand she felt happy he took her offer. It was her way of thanking him for helping her doing with math homework.

 

For the rest of the week her table had been invaded by the annoying presence of Gendry, not that she found him incredibly annoying as before because he helped her with math homework all the time and now she had hopes of acing that test, for once in her life. First, she had to ask around if anyone knew him, she had only seen him a bunch of times on the hallways and while he was on football practice.

 

Now they were sort of acquaintances and she had to ask about him, because he could be even weirder than she thought at first. She found out he was a senior too but they didn’t share any classes, she could have assumed him being a senior when he talked about scholarships and universities; he moved here last year, she probably didn’t notice then because she didn’t notice anything at all last year, it collided with the accident; he became the star goal keeper and gained a fan club.

 

She learnt he got along the football team and people just fine, but he was pretty much a loner, which made him more attractive to his growing fan club. Now she took time to observe him whenever she got a glimpse of him around school, he didn’t hang around anyone in particular and always kept to himself which made the fact that he seemed to know her name and wanting to sit beside her all the most intriguing.

 

Apart, now he came to say hello whenever he saw her or ran into each other, not only when they sat together by the library. And she almost murdered him when on Friday he sat down next to her in the cafeteria, he just plopped down next to her with his lunch tray, which was absurdly full.

 

“Seriously? It’s not enough for you to invade my library table?” he only chuckled, that stupid chuckle he always did whenever she said something he found amusing.

 

“It’s the only one available and you’re nice company, m’lady” was his only answer before attacking his food. She looked around, there were plenty of seats available on different tables, but some people were looking at them now. Probably his fan club asking themselves since when they became such close friends, which they weren’t because they only shared tables.

 

Gods, she so hated that stupid way he used to refer to her of m’lady, but he seemed to find some kind of glee in the way she complained about it so she opted to just ignore it this time.

 

“You finished your book”  he declared “how was it? Did you like it?” she had finally finished South of the border around midweek and now she was reading Stardust by Neil Gaiman.

 

“Yeah, it was a nice read”

 

“I wish I could read as much as I wanted, but it’s kind of exhausting, you know” that must suck, wanting to do something but not being physically able to do it. It was like Bran, him wanting to walk or do stuff regular people can do and not being able to do it because his body didn’t let him. Gendry wanted to read but the way his brain works doesn’t let him. Only for reminding her of his younger brother she decided not to be a bitch to him, at least during lunch.

 

“Hey, Gendry?” he made an acknowledging sound while he ate, waiting for her question “Do you know any good mechanic?” It was an odd question to ask but her car was making this odd noise and she just had to take care of it before it gets worst. It used to be Jon’s old Jeep, the one he gave to her as a birthday present before being deployed.

 

She didn’t know anyone who would know because she didn’t remember where her dad used to take the cars when they needed repairing. Robb and Theon were helpless around cars, once their cars where acting weird they sold them and bought new ones. There was no way Sansa would know about mechanics and Jon used to fix the cars himself. Lommy and Mycah, her friends, didn’t know shit about cars nor mechanics so she just had to ask if Gendry knew someone.

 

“Take it to Tobho Mott’s, it’s the best in town. It’s around the edge of town, give me your number and I’ll send you the exact location” he handed her his phone without even looking at her, she saved her number before handing it back.

 

“The shop opens on weekends?”

 

“Yeah, the best mechanic there only works on weekends. That guy can fix anything, you can take my word on that” there was a cocky grin on his face, but she decided to ignore his weirdness and went back to her book and steal the chocolate cookie he had on his tray.

 

It was later, when she was lying on her bed watching a series on Netflix when her phone beeped with a message from an unknown number.

 

“M’lady” she almost threw her phone out the window, the idiot got her number in the smoothest way possible. She didn’t even think it through when she saved her phone number  on his.

 

“Are you going to stalk me via text too?”

 

“Maybe. Here’s the location for Tobho’s. If you go early tomorrow, you’ll get the guy I was talking about free”

 

Alright, he did what he said he would do which was send the location to the auto shop. Perhaps he was going to leave It at that, but when she got another message she just knew he was going to keep talking. Somehow they kept texting the whole night, talking about homework, him asking her help with his literature essay he had due next week and then the topic shifted to the movie based on the book and then about movies she liked in general.

 

They were becoming friends, she suspected. Why would he want to be friends with her of all people?

 

She cursed because she didn’t really know much about friends anyway, not since she withdrawn from everyone last year because she hated the pity parties and awkward looks she got whenever she entered a room and people didn’t know what to say to the girl who just lost her parents in a tragic way.

 

Sansa would thrilled once she finds out she’s made a new friend, Sansa has been persistent about her recovering her social life, going back to her dancing lessons and not being alone all the time.

 

It’s next day, around 10 when she arrives to the famous Tobho Mott’s auto shop, she parked her car in the front before getting out and walking inside the garage, looking for the famous mechanic that’s supposed to be the very best. There’s only one guy whose only his back can be seen since he’s fixing something under the hood of an old pick-up truck.

 

“Excuse me” she politely asks, one of the few times she remembers what Catelyn Stark taught her.

 

“M’lady, you’re late”

 

Holy shit.

 

No way.

 

“What the hell are you doing here?!” she sees him stretching himself and closing the hood of the car before turning to face her, his blue eyes looking brighter today than they usually do. There’s a grease smear on his face and his shaggy black hair is looking even more of a mess today.

 

“I work here. Only on weekends though” he flashes her a smile that tugs something inside her, his tight white shirt with grease on it is kind of distracting.

 

“Why didn’t you say it before?” she crossed her arms, glaring at him like she’s used to by now.

 

“And miss your surprised face? No way”

 

“Asshole” he laughs at that.

 

“Let’s see what’s wrong with your car, shall we?”

 

It’s half an hour later when she’s sitting on a work table by the shop with a plate of apple pie.

 

“Oh my god, this is amazing” she exclaims because it’s the best pie she’s ever eaten. Gendry’s laughing but she can’t see him because he’s bending under the hood of her car, sticking his butt out. She discovers he has a really nice ass, maybe just as good as that piece of pie he offered her.

 

“It is the best, isn’t it?”

 

“Where you got it? She asks, because it’s that good that maybe she can get one for the house. Rickon would love it, but Rickon is capable of even eating rocks, he’d eat anything.

 

“a friend of mine makes them. His father owns a dinner around the corner and HotPie makes the best pies in the world”

 

“You have a friend called HotPie?”

 

“Yup, quite obvious where he got his nickname”

 

“Soooo, how long have you worked here?” she asks, because she’s curious. The guy is a football star, training hours after classes are over until he broke his fingers and on the weekends he works in an auto shop. No wonder he got behind on his school work that he now has to catch up.

 

“For years now, ever since I moved in with Mott”

 

“So he’s your?”

 

“Foster dad. He was a distant relative of my mum, after spending a while in foster after she died, he took me in” she didn’t know what to say, thanking his back was to her “I help him with the shop on the weekends, so he gets free time to himself to court the flower lady from across the street” he chuckles “I help him whenever I can actually, I like cars and gets me money so it’s a good deal and he says that after I graduate university and he retires I can keep the business running”

 

His commitment to the shop and his hard work reminds her of Robb, how he sacrificed certain things to keep their dad’s business running. How every time he gets he devout it to the company.

 

“The cast doesn’t bother you?” she asks, trying to change the topic since she doesn’t really know what to say.

 

“Like hells, I broke my pinky and ring finger when a hood closed on me two weeks ago. I have to wear it for three weeks more”

 

“What you plan on study? you said you got a scholarship”

 

“automobile engineering”

 

she chuckles softly since it makes total sense “Seems right”

 

“I know, right? Got in Winterfell u, full scholarship so I can still come here on the weekends and keep an eye on Tobho. What about you, m’lady?”

 

“What about me?”

 

“What are you going to do once we finish high school?” she kept quiet because she didn’t know. If you had asked her last year she would have no doubt about it, now she didn’t have a clue.

 

“I don’t know. I got in Winterfell U too, business school. I guess I’ll do it to help Robb”

 

“Robb?” he turned this time, closing the hood.

 

“My older brother. He’s running the family business, seems right to help him in it too. Theon, my cousin, is helping but he has other projects by the Iron Islands so he can’t be there all the time”

 

“You don’t seem convinced” he was leaning against the car, arms cross watching her with an intense look in his eyes “Is there anything else you’d like to do?”

 

“I used to imagine myself working along dad and Robb once I got older, but now with dad not in the picture it just… I don’t know”

 

“I get what you mean” the look they shared was enough. He did know, he was like her. He knew about the pain of losing a parent. That was why she found herself talking to him about things she never shared with anyone, he understood.

 

“So your car is ready, just needed some tuning”

 

“How much do I owe you” he smiled.

 

“Consider it a favor from a friend. Just pass the voice around the shop to people you know and we’re good”

 

“I’ll tell Sansa’s friends about it, then”

 

“Sansa?”

 

“My sister, the one who’s going to be a lawyer and has a lot of posh friends” he laughed

 

“Want some more pie?” he asked and he laughed when she answered all excited about it, as if she were a child “Let’s see if we can get some for free by HotPie’s”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is chapter two!  
> It's going to be short AND slow.
> 
> My brohter's dyslexia served as a bit of inspiration.
> 
> Anyways, hope you like it.
> 
> See you next week!


	3. Chapter 3

The week after it became a given, they’d sit together at the cafeteria and he’d always have a ridiculously filled food tray and two chocolate cookies and she would always steal one. However, on Friday he was missed lunch by the cafeteria and she didn’t caught a sight of him until she arrived by the library entrance after classes were over, he was just standing there like a stone waiting. She was going to go inside when he mumbled something and left.

 

She watched him walk away before deciding on following him. There was something suspicious, something inside, her gut, told her she should go with him or at least find out what was going on.

 

 “Gendry, wait!” he didn’t listen to her or decided to ignore her plea as he made his way through the hallway in a fast pace, her following him. Once they were outside, by the parking lot she raised her voice and he continued walking, so she did the most logical thing to do, threw her car keys at him, hitting him right on the back of the head.

 

“What the hell was that for?!” he turned around, his look was hard and he was patting his head with his right hand.

 

“Never ignore me when I tell you to wait for me, asshole” she yelled as she walked in front of him, picking her keys from the floor “what’s with you?”

 

“I just want to be alone” he was turning back again.

 

“Liar” that seemed to stop him in his tracks “If you wanted to be alone you wouldn’t have shown by the library at all. Tell me, what’s going on?”

 

“It’s a difficult day and I don’t feel like spending it locked up in a library”

 

“Alright, let’s go somewhere else. You, clearly, don’t want to be alone, I don’t have anything to do. Misery loves company, after all” that got a smirk out of him.

 

“Let’s be alone together, then?”

 

“Yeah, you drive. Take us wherever you like” she threw her keys at him again, this time aimed at his hand and not at his big head.

 

“As m’lady commands. I got somewhere in mind”

 

“I knew it, you wanted to get me alone” she teased this time as they went inside her jeep and getting no answer from him. She let him drive for what seem an hour, to the other side of the city, the sketchy part near the harbor.

 

“Where we going?”

 

“This place, we’re close now, don’t worry. It’s not as bad as it looks, you’ll see. You’ll like it”

 

He drove until they reached the riverbank by the edge of Flea Bottom’s, it was desolated the city left behind and the only nature near the entire place. One could see the river and the sun, as if it was endless almost like an ocean. He parked the car and told her to get outside, where he walked and sat on the hood of the car, her following him.

 

“I used to come here when things got bad” he started, she knew he wanted to vent so she let him.

“I assume today is a bad day”

 

“My mum’s birthday is tomorrow. Tomorrow I shouldn’t be sad, I should celebrate her, be happy. Probably Mott is going to give me the day off so I can visit her if I want to, later he’ll show up with a carrot cake and we’ll sing the birthday song, tell something good about her, a memory and then we’ll go to sleep. But today I’m sad, because I miss my mum. I’d like to spend her birthday with her, hear her laugh and buy her something and I can’t”

 

She didn’t say anything but she understood what he felt.

 

“How was she?”

 

“She was tall, blond and very pretty. We used to live here in Flea Bottom’s, she’d work as a waitress and at nights she would sing there, mostly old rock covers and I would watch her by the bar stool, where I’d play or do homework. It was just me and her”

 

He leaned against the windshield, stretching his legs and covering his eyes with his casted forearm, she leaned too, close to him and her left hand brushed his right one slightly. “What happened?” she asked, not knowing if it was the right thing to do.

 

“Cancer happened, leukemia. I was eight when she was diagnosed, she passed when I was about to turn 10. I just… I miss my mum”

 

“And your dad?”

 

“Never met him, found out he passed last year as his brothers got a hold of me and reached me out. I even discover I have siblings, but they live faraway. Even when I never met my father, it would’ve been nice to meet him eventually to say things I’ve always wanted to say in his face. Now, there are things I’ll never get to say, to either of them”

 

“I get it” she her face to look at him as he uncovered his eyes, still looking up the sky.

 

“I know. You see, I changed schools last year because it’d be easier getting a scholarship and all. But I remember seeing you, I was walking around on my first week of school and I saw you. I remembered you from the news, what happen to your family. You had this look in your eyes and I thought ‘out of everyone in this school, she’d understand me the best. Perhaps I’m the only one who can understand her’” he turned to look at her “Then I noticed you spending your afternoons by the library, I watched you from practice. At first you looked at nothing, your eyes were just empty looking then you seem to look my way but you weren’t really looking, it’s like if you were caught in a memory. After weeks passed, you still kept looking my way but each time there was a little less pain and until weeks ago I saw you smiling, it was different. I thought maybe, somehow, I helped a bit, I hoped I did because I wanted to be friends with you”

 

He wasn’t looking at her as he spoke now, he was still looking up as he stretched his right hand towards the sky as if he wanted to touch it and without noticing it, her left hand reached after his, intertwining their fingers.

 

“Is that why you approached me?”

 

“Yeah. I once heard that those who are alike can recognize each other. I recognized you because we’re… we’re both broken” that got a laugh out of her, ruining the moment just a little but he didn’t seem to mind.

 

“Indeed, I’m broken but you’re already more put together, you’re on mending stage”

 

“Perhaps” he chuckled “but I’m broken nonetheless. Once I got the cast on I went to the library. My master plan was approaching you to ask if I could sit with you and try to get to know you and all. What a bummer when you didn’t show up for a week and I kept coming back because I actually needed to get work done and not only to see your pretty face”

 

“Aww! You think I’m pretty?” her teasing voice got a blush out of him, probably he didn’t realize what he just said the moment it escaped his lips. She turns to her side, to face him completely, very aware that she was blushing too.

 

“Well, that bad you’re not to the eyes!” she laughed because he was talking funny indicating he was nervous before he continued “and if you have room to talk, you enjoy watching me across the table, I see how you look at me” his thick eyebrows wiggles as they usually did whenever he tried to tease her “And when you finally show up you pretty much hate me from the get go and I just wanted to be your friend”

 

“You’re a table stealer, I had every right to hate you”

 

“You’re never going to let go that shit about you owning the table, aren’t you? Anyways, seen your emotions all worked up was amusing”

 

“So I amuse you?”

 

“Very! And I like how you get mad at me most of the time so I kept bugging you every day, somehow those hours wasted by the library didn’t seem like a waste but a place where I could forget things, where I didn’t feel all alone. And now I think that maybe, we’re some sort of friends”

 

“Like I said before, misery loves company” she sat down as she said that, hoping he understood that she did considered him a friend. It was time for the sun to set and she didn’t want to miss it. That river bank was a great place to watch the sunsets.

 

“Gods, we sound like a 2006 emo song” he sat straight as well, his eyes focused on her as she watched the sun setting. The wind was playing tricks on their hair, hers getting loose from the braid she sported usually. When she felt his hand reach for a loose strand to place it behind her ear her breath hitched as her heart beat louder insider her chest. After a long time, she felt warmth in her heart, not the numb coldness she had gotten used to.

 

“We should probably get going, this place is safe but at night you never know” disappointment was what she felt, she wanted to spend more time with him but guess it was enough, too much for one day. They still had tomorrow, for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've pretty much finished this whole story so it'll be chapter per week.
> 
> Here is chapter three.
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this.
> 
> Like and comment if you like.


	4. Chapter 4

“You seem to be in a very happy mood this past few weeks, school’s been good?” Sansa asked her as she prepared breakfast already dressed to kill, her auburn hair in a high ponytail and wearing heels too early in the morning. How could her sister look like a model this early?

 

“It’s alright” she sipped her coffee with chocolate milk, dressed in the first thing she found: skinny jeans and a Van Halen shirt that belonged to Jon.

 

“Met someone interesting?” curiosity filled her older sister’s voice.

 

“Who met someone interesting?” Robb asked as he waltzed into the kitchen, a smile on his face as he was ready to hit the office with his grey suit and black chucks.

                                                                                        

“No one. Or maybe Sansa, she seems very happy every time she comes from her friend's house!”

 

“Bitch, turning the tables on me!”

 

“Sans, you met someone? A friend? Is she hot?” Theon asked now, appearing out of nowhere still in his pijamas, a coffee cup in his hands already.

 

“who is hot?” Bran rolled in now, followed by Rickon who asked “Sansa’s got a hot friend?” both ready to go to school.

 

“Idiots, no I don’t have a hot friend” the redhead answered as everyone moved to the kitchen table.

 

“But you do have a friend!” Arya teased, this felt familiar. Everyone on the table, its’ve been a while since they’ve done that.

 

“She has a friend who has a hot sister, one that I wouldn’t mind you introducing her to me”

 

“Gods, Theon how did you know?” Sansa threw a piece of toast at her cousin

 

“It’s my job to know. Information is key to everything and it’s my business” Theon always knew stuff; it was his nature.

 

“So, little sis you are dating someone?” Robb asked Sansa.

 

“Yes, Willas Tyrell. But I was asking Arya first, she’s the one who’s been less sulky lately” now everyone’s eyes were on her. Shit, she cursed lightly as she couldn’t avoid the topic.

 

“I’m acing math, that never happened before so I’m happy with it”

 

“I assume that guy you sit with at the library’s been helping you with math” Theon wiggled his eyebrows and Arya threw him a whole piece of bread. How did Theon always know everything?

 

“Littlest sister, did you finally snatch a yourself a boyfriend?” Robb inquired this time now a mischievous tone in his voice

 

“See Rickon, I told you Arya wasn’t gay, pay up” Bran was teasing now “Arya, is the guy your boyfriend?” Rickon asked her as he tried to avoid the teases from Bran.

 

“No, he’s a friend” she tried focusing on her coffee

 

“Until she comes here with a boyfriend I’m not paying you Bran” Rickon declared, earning an eye roll from Bran, a laugh from Theon, being ignored by Robb and a hit in the back of the head courtesy of Sansa.

 

It was the most normal they’ve been in a while, Jon the only one missing. Arya took her time analyzing her siblings. Robb looked more at ease, less stiff and more relaxed which told her that everything was going as smoothly as he wanted; Theon was almost himself, less lost and more focused; Bran was calm as always but his eyes no longer seemed longing for something he couldn’t obtain; Rickon seemed less angry; and after a long time, Sansa’s laugh sounded honest.

 

They were moving on. She could feel her brothers were, slowly, picking up their lives a year after. Did she look like that too? She wouldn’t know because she could still feel the pain there, still fresh.

 

“Anyways, public service announcement I’m going to King’s Landing for the weekend to close a big deal. The company is back on track. Theon and me won’t be back until Monday morning and we’re probably going to be wasted the whole weekend in celebration. Sansa’s in charge of the house while we're gone and if she's absent, Bran is in charge, just kidding Arya is in charge. Call only in case of emergency or if Jon shows life signals” Robb said as he started to read the paper.

 

“No boyfriends allowed in the house while we’re gone!” Theon recalled and both sisters threw their spoons at him this time while Bran and Rickon laughed at him.

 

Hours later, after Robb and Theon had left and the sun had set there was a curious scene happening in her bedroom “I seriously can’t believe you’re making me do this” Gendry complained as he entered through her bedroom window “Your house is huge; it almost feels as if I’m climbing a tower to see a high lady”

 

“But you’re no knight and I’m not a lady, hurry up!” she grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him in completely “It’s the only way unless you want a redhead breathing down your neck all the time and my younger brothers there watching us watch a movie”

 

“Seriously, how many brothers you have?” he said as he finally entered her bedroom “Climbing up second story windows looks way too easy on TV shows and movies than it really is, especially when you have a cast on”

 

“They’re taking it off tomorrow, stop complaining about your stupid pinky”

 

“why you made me come here anyways ah? Not that I’m complaining because I was bored” He asked her as he checked her bedroom. True to herself, she didn’t know why she asked him to come it just happened, she didn’t want to be alone that night and Theon’s rule was just meant to be broken. It was almost a personal dare to break that stupid rule, though Gendry was no boyfriend he was a boy and he was a friend.

 

“I can’t leave as Sansa is going to sneak off late at night to see her boyfriend and won’t come back until tomorrow morning. I can’t leave Rickon and Bran alone in the house” he was looking into her photographs now, ones she had by her bed table.

 

“are this your parents?” he asked as he looked into a picture.

 

“Yeah, that’s from their wedding anniversary two years ago. The one next to it is all of us at the dinner party they had” she walked to show him the picture next to it, pointing each of their siblings and telling him who they were.

 

“You’ve mentioned Theon, Robb, Sansa, Bran and Rickon but you’ve never mentioned him” he pointed at Jon.

 

“That’s Jon. He’s away, military and we haven’t heard from him in months” she sat by her bed now, looking through a movie catalog as he paced around her room, looking at the pictures she had scattered around “So it’s him you miss the most, I always assumed there was someone you missed with all your heart”

 

“Hey! You danced!” he exclaimed as he watched an old picture of her in a ballet outfit a smile on his face as he looked a picture from when she was eleven.

 

“Gods, I hated it. Mum forced me to take ballet lessons, then my dad let her let me do other stuff and we compromised, as long as it was some kind of dancing it was okay” she laughed.

 

“Would you dance for me one day?”

 

“No! And I haven’t dance at all since…”

 

“Oh. So what are we going to do?” he asked as he threw himself onto her bed changing the topic.

 

“Don’t know, fancy Star Wars?”

 

“Original trilogy?” she nodded “Count me in” he smiled. She was about to press play when something caught her attention.

 

“Hide, under the bed, now!” she whispered as she pushed him out of the bed just in time for the door to open and Sansa’s head popped in. Hopefully, Sansa wouldn’t see him considering he was on the other side of the bed, not facing the door.

 

“Hey, I’m ordering pizza because I don’t feel like cooking tonight. Wanna share one before I leave?”

 

“No, get me one whole pepperoni and a soda”

 

“You plan on eating an entire pizza by yourself?”

 

“You know what they say, always aim high, here take a $20” Sansa looked at her for a few seconds, then her eyes drifted to look around her room for a moment until they came back to her. Grey eyes against Sansa’s blue eyes, a silent discussion.

 

“It’s on me. I’ll tell you when it gets here” Sansa said before leaving and closing the door behind her.

 

“Think she saw me?” Gendry whispered as he climbed back on her bed.

 

“Don’t think so, but better be safe. Let’s sit by that side of the bed on the floor, that way nobody can see us if they open the door”

 

Minutes later, Arya got a text from Sansa saying she was leaving and that pizza was in the kitchen. Arya went down to find her box, a bottle of soda. She grabbed two glasses and a bag of candy to watch the movies.

 

That’s how they spent that night, eating pizza, watching Star Wars on her macbook tugged under a quilt on the floor in the commodity of her bedroom. Eventually, during Return of the Jedi both drifted off to sleep.

 

She woke up just as the sun was rising, comfortably warm lying on the floor, the soft rug acting as a shield against the hard floor. She could feel Gendry’s arm surrounding her waist and his breathing on the back of her neck. This was wrong yet it felt right. It was late, probably really late and it wouldn’t do either of them good getting caught so no matter how comfortable it was, Gendry needed to go.

 

She used to hate human contact, hugs, holding hands and all that stuff but with Gendry was different. It wasn’t as if they were touchy, because they weren’t but it was something. It started happening gradually over the last few weeks, him tugging loose strands of hair behind her ear or patting her head, ruffling her hair. He would also place his hand softly against hers whenever she was feeling bad, in a reassuring manner that only lasted a few seconds or whenever he opened the door for her, yeah he had those manners, he placed softly his hand against the small of her back for a few seconds. Gendry understood her boundaries, and respected them.

 

However just as he would touch her, she ended up doing the the same. She’d sit next to him, each time closer and she wasn’t even aware of that until she, mind you unconsciously, leaned in and placed her head against his shoulder to watch the movie. Other occurrences were how she would punch him, softly, and he would laugh it off or she would drag him somewhere while tugging his hand as if she were a little girl.

 

She hated human contact still, but with Gendry it was different. Yet, Gendry was different in a whole different dimension, he was just… Gendry. What worried her was just how much she actually liked to touch him or be touched by him. IT was something new and she didn’t want to run away from it, but now it was something that needed to be done before people started to wake up.

 

She tried to wiggle herself free only to hear a complaint grunt coming from him as his arm tightened against her waist, bringing them even closer. Somehow she managed to turn around, to face him. He was so big, broad shoulders, strong muscles and so so tall in comparison to her small, skinny frame.

 

He looked peaceful now, asleep. No cocky grin, no teasing eyes nor sad looks. He was handsome, she always knew it but now he looked more like a boy and less like a man or a teenager, she discovered herself in noticing she liked that look on him, all peace and quiet. His black hair even more of a mess, his thick eyebrows without a frown and his long full lashes brushing his cheeks, a shadow of scruff showing on his pale face.

 

“Gendry” she whispered softly trying to wake him up “wake up” she placed her hand softly to cup his face “Gendry!” her voice came a little louder and he started to wake up, opening his eyes slowly, blinking a few times until he could finally shake off the sleepiness a bit.

 

“Morning” he flashed a soft smile, his voice was raspy from sleep, he pulled her closer “this is comfty. What time is if?”

 

“I don’t know; the sun is up. You have to go before everyone wakes up and Sansa gets here” she felt him stretch a little and then, more awake, he let go of her but his hand reached for her hair, stroking it softly.

 

“Your hair looks like a bird’s nest” he chuckled a bit.

 

“Well, I can’t look dainty at every single moment, can I? In the mornings I don’t look as pretty as when I bedazzle you at school”

 

“Nah, you still do it” he smiled now before letting her go and sit up “So, climbing down the window is going to be quite interesting now” he was looking at his injured hand.

 

“Let’s try another way, no one’s up yet”

 

The sneaked out and Gendry got out through the house front door as Rickon and Bran were probably still asleep. She could get a few hours more of sleep since it was still early as hell. Much later, while she was preparing breakfast, meaning serving cereal because elaborated breakfasts were more Sansa's way of doing, she saw Rickon sliding a $20 to Bran silently.

 

There was no way they noticed Gendry spent the night in her room, right?

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The family made a guest appearance!
> 
> Comment if you like, see you next week.
> 
> Comments make me happy, btw.


	5. Chapter 5

“How did you know I was here?”

she asked him as soon as she felt his presence, wondering how he knew she was having a particularly bad day. Probably skipping school, not answering his texts and calls indicated him that something was wrong yet it was also something entirely Gendry to tell her moods and bad days.

 

It still amazed her how in a matter of weeks he had come to know her so well. It could be said the same of her, she came to know his moods, way of talking funny when nervous, things he liked and disliked or when something bothered him.

 

“I remember you mentioning this place, might giving a shot looking for you here” he said as he sat down next to where she was lying on the grass.

 

Today, her safe place, was the lake in the woods near her house, the one her dad used as his refugee when he wanted to withdraw from the hectic world and think. Sometimes she would bring her, sometimes they would get into the lake with Sansa and Bran.

 

“Jon’s birthday is today” she felt him shift, lying next to her and slowly she felt him stretch his arm as she rolled to lie next to him, resting her head on his chest as said arm embraced her, stroking her back softly in a comforting gesture. How could theirs bodies fit so perfectly against each other?

 

“I didn’t know that” there was the imply again, she never mentioned Jon because it was just too hard.

 

“On a day like today, we would dress nice and go to a fancy restaurant with mom and dad as we did on every birthday we celebrated. Mom would get mad at me because I wouldn’t want to wear the dresses she picked out for me, no matter how much her and Sansa insisted until Jon came over and asked me. I could never say no to Jon” she pressed herself harder against him.

 

“Then, we would go to a fancy dinner, unless mom organized a party which always ended in a disaster but Jon never liked parties, usually Sansa, Robb and Theon were the ones fond of them. Robb and Theon would get tipsy, Sansa would get annoyed at something I did, Rickon would misbehave, Bran would probably be too busy reading to even care and I somehow would manage to ruin my dress and Jon would try to cover up for me” that earn a small chuckle from him as she recalled the fond memories.

 

“His last birthday before the accident, Jon wasn’t there to cover up for me anymore, Robb and Theon were away in college, Sansa couldn’t leave the house without having panic attacks, Bran was still in the hospital and Rickon had ran away again. I remember my mum crying next to Bran in the hospital and dad appeared with a rose, a winter rose, and in all that horrible situation he managed to make my mum forget all their problems for a little while”

 

“He sure sounds like an incredible man”

 

“The accident happened shortly after, they left to go shopping and never came back. I remember Sansa’s face going pale as I watched her take the call, soon we were all out on our way to the hospital. Dad had died immediately in the accident; mum was rushed to the hospital” his arms pressed her harder against him.

 

She had mentioned things about her family before, about Bran’s accident as he fell from a tree while playing or Sansa’s abusive relationship with her ex-boyfriend, Robb breaking off his engagement to the Frey girl. Yet she never talked about the day her parents died, she had never talked about it with anyone.

 

“I remember as Robb and Theon appeared hours later, after driving incredibly fast from King’s Landing, when the doctor said mum had died after hours of surgery I couldn’t handle it, I ran” her eyes watered “I ran to the hospital’s roof, where I screamed as hard as I could and then I dropped to the floor, curled up in a ball for gods know how long and then someone was holding me, Jon had come over and found me as he was still wearing his military uniform. I cried until I could not produce any more tears that day, he didn’t shed any or I never saw him because he knew if I saw him cry I would get worst. The following days are a blur, I don’t remember the funeral. I don’t remember anything until the day Jon had to leave for The Wall again. Even parts of last year it all seems like a blur”

 

She wanted to cry yet she never felt it was okay because I’d show weakness and she had to be strong, to show her sibling she was doing good so they could keep doing good themselves.

 

“It’s okay to cry. I won’t tell, no one would know” the dam broke.

 

She cried. She hadn’t cried in so long. All she could do was feel Gendry comforting her as she let it all out. It could have been minutes or hours, but she cried until she could breathe again as if a weight was lifted from her shoulders. She felt… free at last. After cleaning her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt she raised up slightly, only to place a kiss on Gendry’s cheek.

 

“Thank you” he didn’t say anything, just smiled softly as he kept hugging her and she lied back next to him.

 

 “It’s the first time you talk about Jon so much or your parents”

 

“There’s not much I can say about mum and dad. The accident was all over the news because the biggest businessman in the north died in a bizarre car crash. And Jon, he’s the one I miss the most. He got into the army, The Night’s Watch, as soon as he got out of high school, next thing he was stationed in The Wall base up north and left. He came over for the funeral and left as soon after”.

 

“Why you never talked to your brothers or sister?” she sighed.

 

“Robb is busy in charge of the company it doesn’t feel right to bother him with troubles, the same with Theon. Sansa’s own therapy was taking charge of all of us and she’s still in college, it’s not fair. Bran is just, Bran! He’s got his own troubles and things! Rickon is too young and I should be the one listening to him since I’m her older sister!”

 

“They’re probably having it a bad as you, but it’s not my place to say anything about it. I’m here, any time you want to talk”

 

“I know” she answered to everything “Today I’m worried, because it’s been months without knowing shit about him”

 

“But isn’t that good?” he asked perplexed “I mean, in the army the fastest news are the bad ones, right? If something had happened to him they would’ve notified it to your family, immediately. So, no news from him, I hope, still means he’s okay but just can’t communicate”

 

“That’s what everyone says. I hope you’re all right”

 

“I hope so too, I’d like to meet him”

 

This time she stretched, sitting herself up placing her knees below her chin and he sat up as well, both looking to the lake until he grabbed a stone and threw it, making it skip four times.

 

“You’d get along. He’d be happy I have made a good friend, probably you’d get invited to their football games but I don’t know how you could have played in the same team”

 

“Why?”

 

“You’re both goal keepers” she let out a short laugh and he clicked his tongue, as he usually did when he discovered something.

 

“So that’s why you looked at me during practice, huh? You were thinking about Jon!” he chuckled a bit “I knew you were thinking about something else. I should be jealous Stark, you looking at me while thinking of another man!” her small fist placed a punch on his arm a gesture he had come to learn to accept, she would punch him all time time and he would just laugh it off even when he discovered she was abnormally strong “but it’s okay. Jon’s cool. Besides, you were thinking of your brother in the beginning, then you just kept watching to admire my handsomeness”

 

That made her laugh, hard “You’re so full of yourself, you know that?”

 

“Why deny the obvious, m’lady? You were falling madly in love with the super-hot goal keeper. Probably going to be the president of my fan club!”

 

She may be blushing now, because yes at some points she did watched Gendry because he was handsome but she wasn’t a stupid admirer girl.

 

“Shut up, stupid. Well, you came to sit by me, stole my table and before you used to watch me study from across the football field. So I’d say you’re the one who’s Arya Stark fan club president”

 

“Busted!” he kept throwing stones to the lake and she watched him .

 

Gendry just got distracted while throwing rocks to the lake. She felt calmer now, less miserable. Yes, she still missed Jon as she did a few minutes ago but she wasn’t as lonely as before. Maybe this was what Sansa kept talking her about, she should have friends to share the pain just as her sister did when she befriended the Tyrells.

 

Gendry helped her in sharing her pain and she helped him somehow. He didn’t force it, just listened to whatever she wanted to say, held her when she needed it and brought her warmth in ways no one could in all this month.

 

“It’s pretty amazing how you do it”

 

“What did I do?” he asked as he kept throwing rocks.

 

“You, just come here and say something or another and you just make it better. I’m not as bad as a few minutes ago”

 

“Magic touch. I just try to figure out what you need, like blacksmiths do to work and shape metal and you’re like steel yeah… you have steel eyes all grey” he shrugged after his metaphor turned out to be complete crap “I just do what friends do, be there for each other like you help me when I get bad or when you help me when I write all messed up and don’t make fun of me”

 

“I call you stupid all the time”

 

“Yeah, but you don’t really mean it all the time. When you do your eyes change and your look turns all murderous, but most of the times you just call me that as if it were a pet name”

 

“So people call each other darling, sweetheart but you’d like to be called stupid?” she smirked.

 

“Well, it’s a start” his eyebrows wiggled “My plan is to slowly move on to darling, honey and sweetheart” he winked at her. She was never going to call him that, ever.

 

“You have issues” she stood up to stretch herself. The sun was high as summer was approaching, making it a nice warm day “Let’s do something”

 

“What?”

 

“We never did something to celebrate the doctor’s taking your cast off”

 

“The doctor asked me why did my cast had so many wolves and insults. Also why there was “Arya” written all over it, you pretty much marked my cast as yours”

 

“It was good entertainment while you worked and I didn’t have much to do at the library, I’m going to miss it”

 

“So what you want to do now that my hand is free?” his curiosity showed all over his face and she found herself grinning. She had a plan, so she stood up and started to unbutton her shirt and threw it on the ground.

 

“Let’s go for a swim”

 

“what?!” his eyes were wide open, terror all over his face. This was so much fun.

 

“Yup, the weather is nice and we’re already by the lake, c’mon Gendry”, she tried to take off her tank top but he stopped her

 

She busted out laughing when Gendry yelled “No! I see you should not!” in completely Yoda mode.

 

“If seeing me in my undies makes you uncomfortable, imagine it’s a bikini” she laughed and he doubted for about three seconds until he finally gave in and on the count of three both started to remove their clothes in a hurry.

 

“It’ll be fun! Let’s go, I’ll race you to the lake!” she said while taking off her jeans and throwing her shoes. Thank the gods she decided to wear her cute black underwear. She ran towards the lake, hearing a splash soon after. It was liberating, playing like kids by the lake, swimming and laughing. She hadn’t had that much fun in such a long time.

 

It wasn’t until he pulled her towards him in a playful manner that everything changed. Him trying to hold her to keep her from throwing water at him was when it happened. For the first time she felt conscious of his body against her, apparently he did too because he stopped moving and just held her there against him with one arm placed around her waist.

 

As they were catching their breaths from their previous game, she looked up to find the blue in his eyes almost gone and his gaze turned serious as it shifted from her eyes to her mouth. Slowly, she grabbed his big arm, her small hand going up until it rested on his shoulder, clinging to him.

 

She knew it would happen.

 

Not at first, it happened gradually as their friendship grew stronger and the bond they had increased during the countless hours they spent together. She saw it coming, that their relationship was growing, going beyond a simple friendship towards something deeper and much more meaningful.

 

He was never shy about it, he always made it clear in a teasing manner that he liked her. Even when she may have hated him at first, now he was someone she really cared about and she wanted this, she wanted the warmth he made her feel.

 

She’d been numb for too long and he helped her feel again.

 

He took a loose strand of hair and placed it behind her ear softly. Somewhere along their games her braid came undone and her long brown hair was now free. His hand softly cradled her face, his thumb stroking her cheek softly as his eyes shifted from hers to her lips.

 

She knew what she needed to do, what she so wanted to do. Slowly she moved to be closer to him, using his shoulder as a leverage she lifted herself until their lips touched.

 

It was slow, at first just a touch of lips a tender an innocent kiss if one could say, his lips softly caressing hers. It was when she felt his tongue probing her lower lip in the lightest touch that she gasped and came alive. She found herself accepting the invitation, opening her mouth to meet his tongue with hers.

 

It was all a wonderful mess of tongue, gasps and a growl that came straight from Gendry when her right arm tangled in his hair, nails scratching his scalp while her other arm was around his neck. She didn’t know how much time passed, nor did she cared when this was so so good.

 

Why haven’t they done this before?

 

Perhaps if they had, it wouldn’t mean as much as it did now.

 

They pulled apart after a while, both panting their foreheads resting against each other’s, tip of the nose brushing slightly. Apparently, neither could separate completely.

 

“M’lady” he tried to say something, his eyes were almost black now and his gaze was so intense. They kept looking at each other, searching for some kind of regret and when she was completely sure there wasn’t any, only eagerness to keep going she kissed him again and dragged him down inside the water.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, that happened and there'll be no details because it's best to imagine it. :)
> 
> See you next chapter, two to go. 
> 
> Comment if you like, reading you all makes me happy.


	6. Chapter 6

“Who’s texting you so much” his voice filled with sleep as he rested his head on her lap while she was leaned against a tree reading The Virgin Suicides and playing with Gendry’s hair.

 

“Sansa”

 

“Did you guys had a fight or something?”

 

“Nope, she’s just being annoying”

 

“Why? Wants you to pick up Rickon again when it’s her turn?”

 

“No, she’s been texting me about dresses, hair do’s and stuff like that” his brows furrowed in confusion.

 

“Why?” he asked.

 

“Because she wants me to go to prom” her annoyance was evident in her voice, hoping Gendry would just laugh at Sansa’s crazy idea.

 

“Why does she want you to go to prom?” but the idiot was just curious.

 

“because she says I should do it, have fun and remember that experience. She’s so exited she already made a dress”

 

“Your sister is designing clothes again?”

 

“Yup, which makes me feel bad about it! She’s so good at playing this game” Sansa was a master in playing mind games.

 

“Then why don’t we pretend to go to prom?” he asked as if it was all so simple as he snugged further against her lap. He was too comfortable now and talking stupid things, so she pulled his hair slightly.

 

“What do you mean pretend to go to prom?” his smirk was all too evident, he had a plan all worked out.

 

“Well, we could say we’re going. We dress nice, you looking hot in a pretty dress and me looking even more handsome in a suit” she pulled his hair again “I pick you up, we take pretty pictures so your sister is happy while I’m being grilled by Robb and Theon. We say we are going to prom, we might go and stay there until we get bored and then we leave to do something fun and lose track of time. Then I drop you off, an hour late from the ridiculously early curfew your brothers would set and that’s it. An awesome night to remember” his smile was full on, he really had thought this threw.

 

“You were planning on asking me to prom, weren’t you?”

 

“Yup, I’ve been carrying the tickets for a week” he chuckled now as she pushed him of her lap.

 

“You’re so stupid”

 

“You like me anyways” he laughed as he sat up and leaned to kiss her “So what you say?” she punched him slightly in the shoulder.

 

“Fine” even when she hated to admit it, his plan was perfect. Stupid, Gendry “Let’s go eat, I’m hungry” both stood up to get something to eat. Her left foot hurting at each step she took.

 

“Arry, why are you limping?”

 

“Hit my toe” her answer came too quickly for her liking, seeming almost suspicious.

 

“Did you have an awfully embarrassing fall and don’t want to talk about it” she didn’t even answer, only punched him before he offered to carry her on his back all the way to the car.

 

Two weeks later, she was in a pretty blue dress and Sansa was finishing her hair, a simple half up do.

 

“I’m so excited to finally meet your boyfriend” how on earth did everyone in her house knew she had a Gendry? “I’ve only seen his foot as he tried to hide the other day you sneaked him in” She could only roll her eyes because of course Gendry would fail in hiding being so big, stupid and all.

 

Sansa had really outdone herself, a simple black greek cut dress that flowed when she twirled. Her makeup was simple, just a bit of eyeliner and grey eyeshadow for the smokey look.

 

“How bad do you think they’re grilling him?”

 

“Probably Theon is already bluffing about how he has contacts, Robb would probably try to look intimidating, big and manly while Rickon is observing with Shaggydog by his side and Bran is the one asking the questions” she could only laugh.

 

“Well, Robb is probably sulking now since Gendry is… tall” Gendry happened to be a bull sized person with broad shoulders, taller than all of her siblings.

 

“You know we are all really happy you’re doing better, don’t you?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“It’s that after all that happened last year, we were all a mess but all of us had something to help us cope somehow” Sansa now sat on the bed as she turned to look at her “I had college and running the house to keep me sane, Robb and Theon had work, Bran had physiotherapy, Rickon had sports and even Jon had the army, but you Arya… you didn’t have anything, you just stopped doing everything you used to do and I was worried because you didn’t want to talk to us and you were alone”

 

Sansa’s eyes were watering a bit as she lifted a hand to stroke her cheek “I was really worried because there was nothing I could do; I didn’t know what to do to help you. Gods, Marg knows how concerned I was, but she advised me to let you be. I guess… what you needed was a friend, like I got the Tyrells, Bran has Jojeen and Meera, Rickon’s got Shireen and Robb and Theon have each other” Sansa looked down to straighten her skirt “Then Gendry appeared and you were going out with him, talking to him and I was really happy!”

 

“I was never alone” she tried to quip back “I knew you all were there for me, but I didn’t want to be an annoyance since you were also hurting”

 

“You’ll never be a burden nor an annoyance. I’m happy you found your own way to deal with everything, I know how strong you are. Now I’m glad you finished school, you’re doing better and you got yourself a boyfriend”

 

“He’s not my boyfriend” that got her sister to giggle and a way to avoid saying anything too sentimental because she felt like crying and she could not ruin Sansa’s makeup work.

 

“I’m happy you got yourself a friend who is a boy, I’m happy he’s been good to you and helped you. Theon and Robb got his records, I know what he’s been through” she could not believe they dig Gendry’s story up, well she actually did because Theon knew everything.

 

“I think he gets you, I like him already even when he doesn’t know how to hide” sansa chuckled “I’m glad you’re doing better and if anything happens you know you have me, right? I’ll be there for you, just like Robb, Bran, Rickon and Theon are here for us”.

 

She nodded, because Sansa rarely talked like that and because things were better now and because she knew that Sansa knew that she would trust in her if anything happens.

 

“Well, you’re all done. Ready to make an impression?” Sansa was already jumping up and down with a camera as she walked down the stairs, announcing her coming down. She took a deep breath as she walked down the stairs. It was a battle inside of her, nervousness and shyness becoming suddenly overwhelming and afraid to look at Gendry, to see if he did or did not like seeing her this different.

 

He was used to see her in old t-shirts and faded jeans, her hair usually braided and mostly barefaced sans the few times she woke up early enough apply and smudge a bit of eyeliner on her waterline before heading off to school. Now she was wearing a fancy dress and make up. Probably looking a little less like herself and wondering if he liked that change yet knowing it was completely stupid to question what he’d think of her, he likes her for who she is and not for her looks so she raised her eyes as she walked down the stairs to see Gendry waiting for her and his eyes going wide and jaw dropping as he waited for her to come down.

 

It was thrilling to know she was the cause of that amazement, to look into Gendry’s eyes and clearly notice that in that moment he thought she was the prettiest thing he’d seen which made her feel dumb for feeling shy a few seconds ago.

 

The moment was cut short when Theon tapped Gendry’s shoulder to say “Close your mouth, mate. You’re drooling” that earned a smirk from her, captured in Sansa’s camera, a laugh from Rickon and Bran and Robb continued sulking.

 

Once she was downstairs, finally she could look at him properly. His shaggy mess of hair was combed, parted to the side, making his blue eyes look even more impressive even when she knew that it’ll last that neat only for Sansa’s pictures since he’d run his fingers through it and mess it up. His suit was black, and it made his impossible broad shoulders even more impressive, he looked as if he was made to wear a suit with a white shirt and black tie and a white flower pinned to his suit, to match the white corsage he held in one hand.

 

“This! I brought you” he tried to speak as Sansa kept taking a million pictures of every single move they made as he helped her in putting the corsage on her wrist.

 

“Pretty you look, m’lady” he finally said as he finished, blushing like mad and smiling shyly.

 

“I always look pretty. You don’t look that bad yourself” that got him to laugh, to ease his nerves.

 

“Yoda sibling, you got my blessing! Besides, you have a way with cars, that’s a yes on my list!” Theon announced as Robb continued to sulk and glare at Gendry.

 

“So you’re the one who climbed up the window, nice finally meeting your boyfriend Arya, officially anyways” Bran declared and Gendry chocked and started coughing.

 

“You sneaked on my littlest sister room, while she was home alone” Robb was now an overprotective brother.

 

“Nothing happened, they were watching movies, didn’t even heard me entering her room”

 

“When did you enter my room?!” like, when did Rickon entered her room?! Her brother could sneak into places, but she would have heard him coming inside, unless he entered when they fell asleep.

 

“Yup, he even got a picture of you and Steroid Yoda watching Star Wars and sent it to me” Theon was now enjoying this too much.

 

“And well, Sansa might have mentioned you sneaking your boyfriend in and that we needed to cover for you it if Robb called. Also, she went to cash in because we won the bet about you not being a lesbo. So, we were curious and Rickon sneaked in to see if it was true and you didn’t sneaked in a girlfriend”

 

“Fuckers, did you all bet on me being a lesbo?!”

 

“Only Rickon bet on it, the rest of us bet you were straight and Theon bet on bicurious phase” Bran was now laughing hard as he explained everything.

 

“Fuckers! I can’t even believe it!” this was just outrageous.

 

“Aw, just stop arguing and come here, I want a picture by the fireplace!” Sansa dragged them to every single place in the house to take pictures. She even managed to get a picture of Gendry placing a kiss on her cheek. She’d had pictures with Robb, Theon, Bran and Rickon, selfies with Sansa because Sansa was a selfie queen.

 

“Jon’s going to be so happy!” that caught her attention.

 

“Jon?! You’ve heard from him?!”

 

“No! No! But, I mean I’m still going to email them to him so once he logs in he’ll see them! He’s going to be so happy!” Sansa answered to fast, but then changed the topic because she wanted to take more pictures in the garden.

 

“As much as we’d like to take more pictures, we should get going” Gendry declared as they made their way to the door.

 

“Bring her back by midnight!” Robb ordered and Theon hit him in the back of the head and Sansa mouthed “One a.m is fine”. All the family kept watching as they made their way to the car and Arya almost murdered her sister when she heard her coo about Gendry opening car door for her and saying something about how handsome her boyfriend was and Robb groaned in annoyance and Theon said something about getting pretty nephews.

 

“Your family is interesting, I liked them” they were driving to school because they were really going to prom, Gendry convinced her to go in the end.

 

“They’re so embarrassing”

 

“Yeah, but it must be nice! Having a family like that, you know I’ve never had a family like a real one. I only talk to my half siblings through facebook and well, Tobho is like an uncle really”

 

“Well, you’ve got me now” she said and intertwined their fingers while he continued to drive. When they arrived they made out for a while before actually going in because now making out was like a hobby. Once inside they were forced to take pictures by the entrance, as everyone did, Gendry had to take pictures with his football team and took her along. Then they say by the table, Gendry opted to seat by her table with Lommy, Mycah, Weasel and their dates since he knew she’d be more comfortable there.

 

After a while, she pulled out the flask Theon gave her before going out, taking a sip before Gendry asked her to dance with him. Gendry’s fan club were giving her the stink eye all the time while they danced so close during the slow songs, and she secretly loved it. When she got bored she dragged him towards an empty classroom.

 

“I bribed the janitor to keep this classroom open” she closed the door behind her once they were inside.

 

“What? Why?” he asked her as she made him seat by the teacher’s desk. It was a classroom used to keep the dance decoration, so it had no student desks and only boxes on one side making a clear path for what she had planned.

 

“Remember when you asked me if one day I could dance for you?” she was fidgeting now in her place

 

“Yeah” he whispered stunned “but I was joking, Arry. You don’t have to…”

 

“I know I don’t. Remember the other day I was limping?” he nodded “It’d been so long but one day after one of our hanging outs I found myself dancing in my room and, I haven’t done that in so long so I was rusted and my feet hurt at first but… well I did, so now I want you to see. I’ll probably suck since it’s all improvised and I’m rusted and I don’t have my pointe shoes and I don’t know what I’m doing really…”

 

“Arry, I you, you don’t have to do this!” he cut her off, interrupting her many excuses.

 

“I know I don’t have to, but I want to do it. Just shut up and look” she said as she put her phone on the desk and pressed play. Music filled the room, the noise from the party was muted by the gym doors, so this was perfect. She’d had planned this for a while, ever since she accepted to go to prom with him.

 

She danced, standing on her toes as she had removed her flat shoes earlier. The dress helped her, making her twirls look more graceful and she found herself laughing as she swayed to the music giving her all in this little show. When it was over she looked at him, an unreadable look in his eyes and all of a sudden she felt shy, exposed.

 

“You’re amazing” he whispered “I, I don’t know what to say. I… you’re incredible, Arya” she walked to him, his arms automatically reaching to surround her waist “Thank you for showing me, for doing this for me” he placed his forehead against hers, her arms snaking around his neck before dragging him down to kiss him.

 

“That’s all you’ll ever get, don’t you fucking think you’ll see me in a fucking tutu ever” of course she had to ruin the tenderness of the moment but he didn’t seem to mind as he only chuckled and leaned in to kiss her again. It wasn’t soon before both decided to ditch prom to go somewhere else and of course they arrived to Arya’s house past the curfew and Robb was there to receive them, still glowering before inviting Gendry for breakfast the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *spoiler alert*
> 
> Guess who's back? back again? Gendry's back.
> 
> Gendry is back on the show! wasn't that an epic comeback? Now we only need him to go to Winterfell so Arya can punch his face for leaving her.
> 
> Anyways, here is chapter 6. Only one more to go.


	7. Chapter 7

“I’ve got something for you” Gendry held a small gift on his left as he approached her before their graduation ceremony.

 

“You already got me flowers”

 

“Yeah, but that was your graduation gift, this is your birthday present” she grabbed the little box he held and when she opened it there was a small wolf pendant with a silver chain “you like it?” he asked shyly.

 

“Like it? I fucking love it!” she immediately turned around so he could help her in putting the necklace on.

 

“That’s a relief, had to ask Robb what you’d like”

 

“You and Robb are besties now, huh?”

 

“He hates me less now; Theon is my bestie. Won Rickon over by bringing him pie the other day as I dropped by your house to help Sansa on arranging the attic. Bran was easy as I also like Star Trek”

 

“I still can’t believe you’re a trekkie” Somehow Gendry had won over every single one member of her family, his presence now a constant in her house over the last few weeks of the school year during the afternoons when they weren’t busy studying like crazy for finals on the library.

 

Rickon loved him because Gendry always spoiled him by bringing him pie from HotPie’s; in Sansa’s eyes Gendry was a gentleman who could help in fixing everything by the house and because he fixed her car, which only needed a battery change; Bran considered Gendry’s movie and tv taste to be great and both also engaged in deep conversations about their favorite tv shows acting like total nerds; Theon liked him because Gendry fixed his car whenever he wanted and because dyslexia bros must stick together, according to him anyways; Robb was acting like a jealous brother, but him inviting Gendry to lunch or breakfast in more than one occasion was what told her he actually approved of him.

 

“Well, Tobho adores you and threatened to kill me if I let you go, ever. But it’s pretty unlikely you’ll ever leave my gorgeous persona” that earned him a punch. Gendry had invited her to dinner in Tobho’s house a few days ago, the old man was just a lovely guy who pretty much yelled “Gods, Gendry you snatched yourself the prettiest girl in town!” as soon as he saw her for the first time.

 

“So I must go line up on the back, I’m pretty much the last one to be called”

 

“Right, I’ll see you once this shit is over” she saw him dash to the back of the line.

 

This was it, the last day of high school and then they were off to college. Even when they were staying in town, neither moving to the dorms both new this new experience was going to be amazing.

 

But for now, they needed to close the last part of high school, where they met and went through so much together. The ceremony moved pretty quickly, thanking the gods, since she hated this kind of events and when it was her turn she climbed the stage, took her diploma, shook some hands and turned towards the audience to look for her family (knowing from the “you go wolf girl!” yells immediately where they were) and she almost fainted.

 

On the Stark sitting road one could clearly see the ginger heads of Sansa, Robb and Rickon. Sansa obviously taking one hundred pictures per second; Robb clapping madly and yelling “That’s my littlest sister!”; Rickon and Bran were clapping too with bright smiles on their faces while Theon kept yelling embarrassing stuff but it was the person on the far right who she didn’t expect to be there.

 

The one dressed in a black, wearing his dark hair in a ridiculous man bun, with a smile on his face.

 

Jon.

 

Jon was here.

 

How? Why?

 

She was pushed of the stage soon, but her eyes were glued to Jon’s figure all the way to her seat, him smirking at her surprise and everyone on the Stark road had a mischievous look in their eyes. Dumbfounded was an understatement for what she was feeling now.

 

Why didn’t she know Jon was going to be here?!

 

It wasn’t until she heard Gendry’s name being called that she woke up from her surprised state, to clap hard and whistle a catcall to him just to annoy him. However, Jon would notice that Gendry was her… Gendry even before actually introducing them, even though Theon and Robb must have filled him in with the information. Yet she wanted him to know about Gendry because she told him, not because he noticed it or one of her relatives told him.

 

Once the ceremony was over and she was finally free from the protocol, she dashed where her family was waiting for her, ignoring everything to throw herself to Jon.

 

“Heey, there little wolf Happy birthday! And congratulations on your graduation!” his laugh was too much, she was about to cry until she pulled away and punched him in the chest.

 

“Why? How?”

 

“Surprise motherfucker!” Theon exclaimed and her neck snapped when she turned.

 

“You knew?!”

 

“Of course we knew, it’s your surprise graduation/birthday present” Robb chuckled.

 

“Jon called a few days before your prom, immediately looking out for you instead of wanting to chat with any of us and well…” Sansa began the story

 

“I thought it would be cool if you just see him on your grad day” Rickon went on “and before we knew it, we had a plan” Bran continued.

 

“The guy arrived yesterday night” Theon’s grin was too much, she wanted to punch him.

 

“I picked him up” Sansa continued the story “And I got his bags into the house without you noticing” Rickon went on

 

“So I spent the night in hiding by the poolhouse” Jon was also part of the storytelling.

 

“Assholes” that got them all laughing because she couldn’t truly believe they all did this for her.

 

“congratulations, Arya” Jon’s smile was bright as he hugged her again, finally believing he was really here she hugged him tight.

 

Everyone was here. Robb, Sansa, Bran, Rickon, Theon and now Jon!

 

“Wait!” she let go “Wait here!” and she was off to look for him, for Gendry, catching a sight of him taking pictures with the football team grads.

 

“Gen” her scream almost made it seem as if her life was on danger or something, because he now looked concerned.

 

“Arry, everything okay?” he went to her, standing in front of him.

 

“Jon!”

 

“What?! Something happened? Heard something from him?” all she could read in his voice was worry, and she wanted to kiss him for that but this was not the time.

 

“He’s here!”

 

“What?! Where?!”

 

“There!” she pointed to where her family was.

 

“Gods! He’s here! Go Arry, it’s okay! We can celebrate later, go enjoy your brother” right, they planned on going out as soon as the ceremony was over, ditching Sansa’s fancy dinner by the house plan.

 

“No!” she tugged his hand “You have to meet him”

 

“Ar, it’s fine! We can meet later, go enjoy your brother! It’s been a while since you’ve seen him! Go on, spend time with him and I’ll call you later” he smiled, Of course he would think she wanted to be alone with Jon, for missing him all this time but now she wanted something completely different. She wanted the important people in her life together, all of them.

 

“Gendry” she took a step in, gazing up to look him in the eye “Stop, being stupid, I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t want to introduce you to Jon” that did him in since he finally let himself being pulled away to where her family was waiting for her.

 

And now she wanted to punch all of them because they had this look as if shit was going down, of course Theon and Robb would ruin such an important moment with catcalls and telling Jon to get ready to throw punches.

 

“Jon! There’s someone I want you to meet” Jon was looking at Gendry now, a neutral face, as he waited for her to go on “Jon, this is Gendry. Gendry, this is Jon” her heart was beating madly inside her chest.

 

“Heard a lot about you” Jon said as he raised his hand to greet Gendry while she glared at Theon and Robb.

 

“And a lot about you I’ve heard” Jon’s eyebrow raised in a quizzical manner and Gendry’s face was beet red, because of course he’d get nervous as fuck meeting her favorite family member.

 

“So you’re Arya’s famous _friend_ …” Gendry’s hand went to rub the back of his neck as he mumbled something, or tried to. It was something they never had done, put a label on what they were. Every time someone referred to him as her boyfriend she would correct them about him being her friend, or just Gendry which was a whole new and valid term on its own, at least on her head. He was a Gendry, she had a Gendry.

 

“He’s my boyfriend” she corrected, earning a smug smile from Jon, Gendry turning a whole new deep level of red while he smiling dumbly at her, completely proud in her statement.

 

“Finally!” Robb yelled, both hands up in the ear as if his favorite team had scored a goal.

 

“And we have a boyfriend!” Theon chipped in.

 

“Man, I can’t believe I lost again” Rickon whined about something, before taking out his wallet to pay Bran and Sansa, who was just smiling broadly and taking pictures.

 

“We had a bet in how long it would take Arya to finally admit they were a couple” Bran informed Jon as he was now laughing because he missed the family craziness.

 

“Assholes, you’ll pay for this” she could only say before Gendry started laughing along with Jon and things were going as smoothly as they could for now. Tobho even joining them, being introduced by Gendry to everyone, except Sansa who had invited him days previous days to the family fancy dinner.

 

“So, shall we go by the house now?” Everyone made their way to the parking lot, obviously after the hundred pictures Sansa needed to take to record her graduation and birthday for life.

 

“And, we’ll arrive a bit later, there’s something we need to do” Arya pulled Gendry back when she remembered something she wanted to do, she had planned to do yesterday when the idea popped into her mind before going to bed.

 

“No Arya, no way! There’s no way you’re sneaking out of your own party! I even planned it at the house so we’ll be more comfortable since you hate fancy places!” Sansa started complaining, both hands on her hip and being the spite image of their late mother “I even baked you a fucking giant lemon cake!”

 

“Seven hells, Sansa learnt to curse!” Jon yelled “What more did I miss?! Sansa curses! Arya has a boyfriend! Rickon, did you became a math prodigy? Bran learned to fly? Theon and Robb stopped being man whores??”

 

“Hey!” the latter quipped back pretending to be offended.

 

“We’re not sneaking out, but there’s something we need to do before! I’ll be there, it’ll only take a few minutes and we’ll be on our way! Go, ahead. I promise! Jon’s going to be there, there’s no reason to actually sneak out now”.

 

“Which we weren’t going to do, by the way. I was totally going to convince her to go to your dinner party and ditch the sneaking plan” Gendry started to say, he always convinced her to go along Sansa’s plan which was the main reason her sister was fond of him.

 

“Shut up!” she punched Gendry in the arm and Jon chuckled “I promise, I’ll be there, I just need a few minutes, go on!” she didn’t expect them to answer, since she just dashed of pulling Gendry with her again.

 

“Where are you dragging me? Arry, we should get going to your house I mean I don’t want Jon to think poorly of me”

 

“He won’t, he’ll get to know you and he’ll like you because he’ll see how happy you made me”

 

“Well, it would be truly difficult not to charm him anyway, you know it just comes natural on me, I’m a natural charmer” He was mocking her now “Why did you bring me to the library?”

 

“Because, this is our place” she shrugged and walked to her table.

 

“Our table?”

 

“My table, you stole it” he sat in front of her, looking out to the football field the same as her “Can’t believe how much time has passed, how things have changed”

 

“This year wasn’t so bad, was it?” he smirked

 

“Pretty okay, I’d say” shrugging as she replied got him to chuckle.

 

“I’m going to miss it though, this place” she admitted “This was my place, my sanctuary”

 

“Here you fell in love with me” he declared, a smug smile on his pretty face and she kicked him under the table “But yeah, I get what you mean. I’m going to miss coming to this place too. This is where we became friends, where I wrote the best essays of my life and where I got kicked in the shin even more times than any football matches I’ve ever played”.

 

“This will forever be my table” she declared confidently.

 

“Symbolically, it doesn’t have your name on it, we went through it several times, m’lady”

 

“Got a solution for it” standing up and raising her foot on the table she took out her pocket knife from her left combat boot.

 

“Were you carrying a pocket knife all this time?!”

 

“Yup!” she was under the table now.

 

“Why doesn’t It even surprise me?” he was under the table with her now, completely hunched because of his size. She carved her initials before handing him her knife.

 

“Hey, but if I carve mine then this will no longer be your table?”

 

“It’s fine, I won’t be here to see it anyhow just don’t make it bigger than mine” she smiled and he carved his initials now, right under hers and once he was done she leaned in to kiss him.

 

“So, we should claim a table on the university library once we get there” she declared and he laughed hard.

 

“That’s a must, we’ll carve our initials as soon as classes start” both sat back on their sits “How many hours do you think we wasted here?”

 

“They were not a waste, each minute was totally worth it” she glanced outside, to the field “how long do you think we can be here before receiving a hundred calls from Sansa asking us to hurry up?”

 

“I’ll give it five minutes. I bet they’re still in the parking lot waiting for us” she could bet he was right, in this short time Gendry came to know the Starks too well and just as if on cue, their phones went on.

 

“Jon is calling me” she chuckled looking at the caller id.

 

“I got a text from Theon” he chuckled “He says they left already, leaving Jon as blackmail and that we should… ehh you don’t want to know the rest of it”

 

“I imagine he’s assuming we’re shagging somewhere”

 

“yup”

“Typical Theon” She rolled her eyes before calling Jon.

 

“Arya, they left me behind and these girls from your grade are chasing me. So hurry up, come and save me and let’s go. I’m hungry and I have to give you your presents, I don’t know how long it’ll take Rickon to dig through my stuff before finding out I only got them keychains and you are the one with the cool presents”

 

“What did you get me?!”

 

“It’s a surprise, hurry up! I’m hiding in the bathroom! Send your gigantore to save my pretty ass from those crazy highschoolers!”

 

“Are you really hiding in the bathroom?”

 

“Yes!”

 

“Tell me what did you get me or I’m not sending him to rescue you”

 

“I got you a sword! Happy?!”

 

“You really got me a sword for my collection?!”

 

“Yes! I even have it custom made specially for you! Now, will you finally get me out of this place?! It smells horrible!”

 

“Yup! I’ll send him” she hanged up.

 

“Let’s get going, I really want a piece of lemon cake and hear what Jon’s been up to” she raised up from her seat, laughing as they made their way outside, noticing the girls outside the bathroom, of course she had to yell and told the girls to fuck off before sending Gendry inside.

 

“Please, save poor Jon from those girls and give them a fan service”

 

“On it!” and he went to take Jon out of the men’s bathroom, both flashing a smile to the girls outside before finally heading to Gendry’s car heading to the Stark house.

 

Just as she was going to get inside the car, Gendry stopped her “ARry, are you really sure you want me there now?” he was looking down “I mean, I know you said it but Jon’s here and I’d would totally understand if you want to be with him alone, me and Tobho can go home and we’ll celebrate later”

 

“I want you there, I want you to meet and get to know each other. If I didn’t want you there I’d tell you. Let’s go Gendry” she raised her hand to him, taking his and intertwining their fingers as he seemed to let out a breath he was holding.

 

“You’re all here. I’m happy now or, at least, I’m less miserable” she declared as she lead the way.

 

“Well, you got the super handsome football star, graduated high school and got a cool birthday present” he pointed the necklace “and your brother is home”

 

“Shut up, stupid. I really mean it, I have my siblings and I got an idiot bull like you. Somehow it makes me less miserable”

 

“Well, I’m glad I’m doing something right”

 

“You should be, somehow you got the hot misunderstood girl” he chuckled at that.

 

“Yeah, I did get the girl” someone coughed and both turned to look at Jon who had a grumpy face all over.

 

“Gendry, you seem cool, but I’m still getting my head around the fact that my sister has a boyfriend, so if I see you making out I might punch you in the face because I’m a jealous brother. At least give me a day to get my head around it and let’s get home, I miss homemade food and Sansa prepared a whole banquet!”

 

“I forgot how grumpy you get when you’re hungry” she complained about her brother as everyone got inside the car.

 

“Gods, you weren’t joking! He really is like you! You act the same when you’re hungry!!” Gendry was laughing now.

 

“I’m hangry because I’m jetlag! I just hope to stop being jetlag for Sunday’s football match because there’s no way I’m missing it! Oh, right, Robb told to me ask you, Gendry you in to play with us?”

 

“Sunday? Of course, Theon already asked me to join your team”

 

“How the hell are you going to play together if you both are goal keepers?!”

 

“You’re a goal keeper?!” Jon asked surprised “nobody told me!”

 

“Yeah… I am”

 

“That’s it! You’re approved, you can marry my sister if you want! I can finally stop being goal keeper, for fucks sake!”

 

“What?! Didn’t you love to be the goalie?!” what the hell happened to goal keeper Jon? Now she was dumbfounded, what was happening in the world?!

 

“No!  I fucking hated it! I was forced to be the goalie because Theon and Robb sucked at it! Now, we’re team! Gendry as goalie, me as striker, Theon and Robb defense with the Karstarks and Mormonts! Our eleven men team will be unstoppable! The stupid Freys and Boltons have nothing against us! I so want to see them cry” Jon was laughing now, Gendry had a thug smile on him and she, well she couldn’t ask for more now because somehow they were

 

The ride home was fast and Gendry and Jon looked like they were on their way to have a bromance because now they were talking about fixing cars. Jon said he was staying for at least three months and Gendry told him he could drop by the auto shop anytime if he wanted to work on cars.

 

When the ride home was over, Jon got inside and immediately noticed she wanted to be alone with Gendry for a few minutes before going in “I’ll buy you a few minutes, just don’t take forever making out”.

 

“What is it, m’lady?”

 

“Nothing, I just…” she didn’t even finish because she did what she wanted to do for a while, she jumped on Gendry in a bear hug.

 

“Hey, what’s that for?” he hugged her back laughing and completely surprised. They were really for a very indecent picture, she was completely all over him, her legs locked by the ankles behind his back, one of his arms surrounding her by the waist, the other hand below her thigh to keep her in the position.

 

“It’s just that I’m happy” she hid her face on the crook of his neck, breathing his scent “You’re all here” she whispered “almost everyone I care about is here, it almost feels unreal”

 

“But it is, and I’m here to stay as long as you want me too” he kissed the top of her head “You have no idea how much you mean to me, Arya”

 

“I guess I might, I’m the light of your life” he snorted, but she raised her head, placing her forehead against his as they both closed their eyes “we made it, Gen. We’re both on mending stage” both were in the same position for a while, until she finally slowly unlocked her legs from him to stand yet they never pulled apart. She dragged him down to kiss him, softly, chastely almost, to say thank you for everything.

 

They were in their own little bubble for a few minutes more before they knew they really had to go inside to stop everyone from teasing them, yet knowing they were all going to do it anyways.

 

“C’mon, Stark, let’s get inside before Jon changes his mind about me, let’s not waste more time outside here” he pulled her by the hand.

 

She may not be okay, there were still people missing, things missing within her, but at least she was no longer a mess as she was months ago. She had help, someone who helped her in overcoming what was tolerating her and she was grateful for meeting Gendry, knowing he was in for a long time. She may never tell him, but she was grateful he decided to sit on her table by the library because it lead to everything she was having now.

 

“Time together is never waste, every second is worth it” and both went inside were their family was waiting for them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's a wrap. 
> 
> Just like the spoilers give us chapters earlier, I'm uploading the last chapter earlier. HBO Spain style.
> 
>  
> 
> Hope you liked this story. :)
> 
> I think I'll be writing a few more one shots before going back to classes in September. If I get into the masters degree program I want to get it, I'm sure i'll keep writing more stuff because I'll procrastinate work that way.
> 
> I have a story on FF I'm planing on rewriting and finishing, if you have read me there then I'm sure you may know which I'm talking about.
> 
> Anyways, thank you for reading this, I really appreciate it. 
> 
> xoxo

**Author's Note:**

> This whole thing popped into my mind.  
> It's not going to be very long, though.  
> Hope you like it.  
> Comment if you do.


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